Plumbing system employing vacuum breakers



July 13, 1937.

PLUMBING d? Y J0 W. C. SHANLEY Filed Dec. 19, 1955 SYSTEM EMPLOYINGVACUUM BREAKERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 w. c. sHANLEY 2,087,049

PLUMBING SYSTEM EMPLOYING VACUUM BREAKERS Filed Dec. 19, 1933 5Sheets-Sheet 2 July 13, 1937.

July 13, 1937. w. c. SHANLEY 2,087,049

PLUMBING SYSTEM EMPLOYING VACUUM BREAKERS Filed Deo. 19, 1933 5Sheets-Sheet 5 yg -j' yr w Zia Patented July 13, 1937 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE PLUMBING SYSTEM EMPLOYING VACUUM BREAKERS William C.Shanley, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Imperial Brass ManufacturingCompany, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application December19, 1933, Serial No. 703,093

4 Claims.

It is well known that in the ordinary plumbing l system, Where a supplypipe rises through'several iioors, a vacuum mayv be created therein, forinstance, by shutting off the waterI supply and opening faucets, valves,etc., or flushing closets, at a lower level. When this occurs, the waterwill siphon out of the water-closet bowl, bed-pan closet, bidet, bed-panwasher or slop sink, when the bowl is clogged through stoppage and thewater level is above the holes in the rim of the bowl. It will alsooccur on sidespud closets where the closet spud is partially orcompletely submerged in the water seal, which is the normal water levelin the closet bowl. When back siphonage occurs, it pollutes the water inthe supply line.

In the companion application No. 703,094, filed simultaneously herewith,on which Patent No. 2,056,807 was granted October 6, 1936, showing apreferred form of my invention, and where it is used in connection witha flush valve, the pipe connecting the bottom of the flush valve withthe bowl is employed as a part of the conduit connecting the supply linewith the recep- .tacle which may be siphoned, and in whichpipe `is anaperture protected by means in the pipe so that it permits the downwardpassage of the Lwater from the supply pipe through the flush valve anddown through the pipe without the possibility of any of itescaping'through'the apervvture, `while said means permits the air toenter (freely through the aperture in case a vacuum `occurs in Athesupply, and thus prevents the 'possibility of the contents of the bowlbeing sucked back into the supply pipe, thereby possibly contaminatingits contents. In my present application, I have shown several species ofageneric vacuum breaker which is connected to the conduit, but outsideof it, so that it can be readily gotten at for renewal or repairs.

My present application is also concerned with an improvement in flushValves of the type in which a spring or some means other than the weightof the relief valve isemployed to hold it seated. When'a vacuum breakeris attempted to be used with such valves as now constructed, suchmeans-will not permit the relief valve to rise under a Vacuum, andconsequently it pulls the entire piston unit off of its seat, permittingback siphonage from the closet bowl or other fixture on which the ushvalve is used.

To illustrate my invention, I annex hereto three sheets of drawings, inwhich the same reference characters are applied to identical parts inall the figures, of which,-

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a flush valve employingsome of my inventions and one of the specic vacuum breakers shown;

Fig. 2 is a Vertical section through the main valve and its connectedpiston, on a larger scale, which main valve and piston are shown inelevation in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively, ofFig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the vacuum breaker shown in section inFig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Figs. 1 and 9;

Fig. 7 shows the Vacuum breaker of Fig. 1 detached from the flush valveand in section;

` Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but showing a modication of thevacuum breaker;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a different constructionof the flush valve;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line I0-I0 of Fig. 9;

and

Fig. 11 is a view showing a third form of the vacuum breaker, the sameas is shown in Fig. 9, but applied to the tank of the Water-closet.

In a plumbing system embodying my invention, the supply pipe, not shown,is connected by a sleeve 20, or otherwise, to the inlet port 2l of thecasing 22 of a piston-type flush-valve, which has a valve seat 23 onwhich normally rests the main valve 24, which when lifted allows thewater from the supply pipe to flow past the valve seat down throughtheoutlet 25, through the coupling sleeve 26 carrying the vacuum breaker21, and into the pipe 28 connected with the top of the bowl, not shown.The main valve 24 has the washer which constitutes the actual contactpart of the Valve with the valve seat 23 secured in the annulus 29, bythe refill thlmble 30 screwed therein, as will be readily apparent fromFig. 2. Ihe generally cylindrical member 3| has its lower end screwedinto the ring 29, and its internally threaded upper vend has thecylindrical member 32 screwed therein, clamping between them one of theleather cups 33, and also carrying the other cup 34, which cupsconstitute the actual contact part of the piston which separates thevalve casing 22 into the inlet chamber 35 and the controlling chamber36. In this type of flush valve, the ring 29 has on its interior a seat31 for the relief valve 38 which co-operates with said seat, and has itsstem 39 extending down through the reilll thimble 30 and in position tobe contacted by the pin 49, which is normally held out of contacttherewith by the spring 4|, but which is forced in contact therewith totilt the relief valve by manipulation of the handle 42, theseconnections being of a customary and well known type which needs nofurther description.

'Ihe controlling chamber 36 is normally filled with water underpressure, as is the inlet chamber 35, so that the valve is held inposition by the balanced pressure on both sides of the piston. When therelief valve 38 is tilted by the operation of the handle 42, thecontents of the controlling chamber 36 pass downwardly through thecenter of the cylindrical member 32, past the transverse tube 43 forminga part of the cylindrical member 3|, and down past the valve seat 31 andon through the connection 26 and the pipe 28 to the closet bowl. Withthe pressure on top of the piston` thus released, the pressure in theinlet chamber lifts the piston and unseats the main valve 24, and thewater from the supply pipe for the flushing operation passes on downthrough the outlet 25 and pipe 28. To regulate the refilling of thecontrolling chamber 36, and thus the duration of the flush, means has tobe provided for slowly re-illling the controlling chamber, and for thispurpose a screw 44, with a slot or a flattened portion on its lower end,is threaded into the boss 45 of the tube 43 so as to leave a smallpassage through the boss 45, the size of which is regulated by theadjustment of the screw 44. As soon as the piston reaches the upperlimit of its travel, the water under pressure in the inlet chamber 35passes through the tube 43, up through the small passage in the boss 44,and into the controlling chamber. In this type of valve, ahelically-coiled expanding spring 46 is customarily interposed betweenthe boss 41 on the under side of the tube 43 and a boss 48 carried bythe top of the relief valve 38.

In a type of relief valve where it is held in place only by its weight,as soon as a. vacuum occurs in the supply pipe, the relief valve islifted or tilted by the vacuum suiilclently to allow the airfrom thevacuum breaker to pass the relief valve and reach the supply pipe. Wherethe spring is employed, as shown in the present application, the suctiondue to the vacuum is not suillcient to lift the relief valve presseddown by the spring 46, and consequently, where this type of valve isemployed with a vacuum breaker, it is necessary to change itsconstruction to permit of the passage of air through the relief valvewhile it is still seated. For this purpose, the boss 46 oi' the reliefvalve has an aperture 49 therein, and four equidistant horizontal holes50 extending thereinto radially, and below these holes is the valve seat6| for the small, and consequently light, ball valve l2 co-operatingwith the seat,

and below the seat are the four substantially horizontal, radiallyextending passages 53 to the reduced portion of the aperture 49. A plughaving the aperture 54 is screwed into the top of the boss 48 to holdthe ball in place. Normally, the pressure of the water in thecontrolling chamber 36 and its weight hold the ball check-valve 52seated, but when a vacuum occurs in the supply pipe, the water in thecontrolling chamber is sucked out through the tube 43, and the checkvalve 52 is lifted, and the air entering through the vacuum breakerhereinafter described passes upward through the passages -53, past thehel;

valve and out the passages 50, thus breaking the vacuum and allowing theair to enter the supply pipe.

To supply the air thus used to break the vacuum, I employ a vacuumbreaker, such as the one 21, shown in Figs. 2, 5, and '7, ormodiilcations thereof, such as are shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Where theform shown in Figs. 7 and 9 is used, I preferably employ a tube 55,which is threaded at its outer end into the valve casing 56, shown inFigs. 1, 5, and 7, and also threaded through an aperture in theconnection 26, and preferably extending to the center of the passagethrough the connection 26, which forms a part of the large passage forthe water used in flushing through the pipe 28 to the bowl. I have foundby experiments that its action is more effective if a series of eightsmall holes 51, seen in Figs. 1, 5, 6, '7, and 9, are employed. With theform shown in Fig. 7, I employ a ball check-valve 58 which has its seaton the top of the tube 59 threaded into the vertical portion of theelbow-shaped valve casing 56. To regulate the height that the ball maybe lifted from its seat and prevent its possibly being sucked throughthe tube into the connection 26, and thus be dropped back into the bowl,I employ the set screw 60 threaded into the top of the casing 56 andextending substantially to the ball 58. With this construction, it willbe obvious that when a vacuum occurs, the ball 58 will be lifted fromits seat to permit the passage of the air, but that it cannot be drawninto the tube 55.

In Fig. 8, I have shown a modification in which the horizontal arm 55 ofthe valve casing 6| is threaded directly into the connection 26, andthis form is enough more sensitive than the form shown in Figs. 1 to 9so that the tube neednotbe extended to the center of the connection 26and provided with the holes 51. In this form, the lower half 62 of thevalve casing is separate and is threaded into the lower part of thecasing 6|, which is enlarged as at 63 to form a hood protecting the airinlet apertures 64 formed toward the upper end of the portion 62 of thecasing. Threaded into this lower portion and closing it is a member 65which has a well 66 formed therein by the tubular portion 61 extendingupward to and very slightly above the top of the portion 62 of the valvecasing, the top of the tube 61 forming the seat for the diaphragm valve63, which is in the form of an annulus with its outer periphery held inplace between the upper end of the portion 62 of the casing and theshoulder 69 formed in the portion 6| of the valve casing. The aperture16 in the center of the diaphragm 68 is large enough, so that while thevalve is normally firmly seated on the top of the tube 61, the aperture18 will permit any water which might enter the valve casing through thetube 55* during the flushing operation to pass through the hole 16 inthe' diagram into vthe tube 61, which acts as a well while the diaphragmis coming to a closed position, and thereby builds up a pressure on topof the diaphragm, which seats it. There is no pressure on the lower sideof the diaphragm, which gives it a positive seat and prevents anyleakage of the water into the outer well between the tube 61 and theportion 62 of the casing. When the vacuum occurs, it lifts the water outof the well 66, raises the diaphragm off of its seat, thus permittingthe air to pass into the holes 64 over the top of the seat, 75

i through the opening 10, and thence to the conncction 26, thus breakingthe vacuum.

In the form shown in Fig. 9, the valve casing 1| has the tube 55 screwedinto its upper portion, and below this upper portion is an annular valveseat 12 formed by a washer resting on the horizontal annular flange 13projecting from near the top of the tube 14, which is held in place bythe cup-shaped lower portion 15 of the valve casing, which is threadedinto the upper portion, and acting o-n the flange 13 and the washer 12holds the parts in place. Apertures 16 in the cup 15 serve to admit theair, and the lower port-ion of the valve casing 1| extending below theapertures serves to form a protecting hood, as in the case of the formshown in Fig. 8. The valve 11 is of the mushroom type, and its stem 18extending down through the tube 14. serves to keep it properlypositioned. The action of this valve will be obvious, as the suctionproduced by the vacuum will tilt the valve 11 on its seat and allow theair to enter to break the vacuum.

In Fig. 11, I have illustrated my invention in the specific form shownin Fig. 9 as applied to a water-closet tank 19, in which the supply pipe80 has an extension 8| up through the tank to the valve casting 02provided with the valve seat 83 with which the valve 84 co-operates,which valve is seated when the Water 85 rises to the level shown by theaction of the float 86 through the system of levers shown, by which thevalve is operated. The discharge pipe 81 extends downwardly from thevalve casting 82, and during the process of filling discharges the Waterin the bottom of the tank until it reaches. the level shown, when thevalve closes and its supply ceases. The outlet pipe 88 to the closetbowl is normally closed by the valve 89 operated from the connection 90in the customary manner. In applying my invention to this plumbingsystem, I open a pipe 9| having a horizontal portion 92 into the valvecasting above the discharge pipe 81, and on the upper end of the pipe9|, I secure to the horizontal portion 93 the top 1|il of the valvecasing, the rest of the vacuum breaker being identical in its structureand mode of operation with that shown in Fig. 9. The vacuum breaker hereoperates in the same manner as heretofore described, whenever the waterlevel 85 is lowered sufficiently so that the valve 84 is lifted oil ofits seat and the vacuum can reach the valve 11.

Referring again to Fig. 9, so far as the present feature is concerned,the valve mechanism below the solid cross piece 431i, which correspondsto the tube 43, is identical with that shown in Fig. 2, but therefilling passage for the controlling chamber 36, instead of beingthrough the member Sie, is around it, the construction being asfollowsz-The cap 96, whichis threaded on to the casing 22 in thecustomary manner, has the annular offsets 91 and 98 formed on itsinterior, and between the oisets 91 and 98 the tubular lining 99 isbrazed or otherwise secured in place, and this tubular lining extendsdownwardly, as seen, belovi7 the lowermost position of the cupwasher/33, the piston having its bearing in the lining 99. One or moregenerally vertical grooves are formed in the wall of the lining 99,so-that the annular channel |0| formed by the shoulder |02 formed by thereduced upper end of the lining 99 and the shoulder 91 of the cap isopen through channels |00 to the water lling the supply chamber 35. The

cap 96 has vertical holes |03 bored from the shoulder 91 upward to meetthe transverse passage |04 formed by boring through the top of the capand closing the end by the screw closure |05. A hollow boss |06 extendsdownwardly from the center of the cap and has the aperture |01 therein,which is partially closed by the end of the spring-pressed plunger |00,which end is flattened orgrooved so as to permit the passage of thewater which reaches it through the bores |03 and the passage |04thro-ugh the hollow |09 in the boss |96, the spring-pressed plungerbeing held in the casing ||0 Athreaded into the top of the cap, thelower portion of the casing ||0 being reduced in diameter sufl'icientlyto aford a passage from the passage |04 to the hollow |09. In the solidcross piece 43a, I screw the plug it being screwed in place so that itsheight can be adjusted so that .when the piston rises,` the position atwhich the plug strikes the valve |08 can be accurately adjusted tobalance the action of the main valve and piston so that it will operatemost eflciently. When a vacuum occurs in the supply pipe, the air fromthe vacuum breaker 1| will pass up through the holes 53, lifting thecheck valve 52, out through the holes 50, up through the partiallyclosed valve seat |01, thro-ugh the passage |04, bores |03, annularchannel |0| and slots |00 to the union 20, and thence to the supplypipe, breaking the vacuum as before. It will be noted, with thisconstruction, that the cap 96 can be screwed in place without thenecessity of leaving it in any exact angular relation to the valvecasing 22, as the channel |0| and the vertical grooves |00 in the lining99 insure the connection being properly made irrespective of the angularposition of the cap 96.

While I have here-in shown in Fig. 9 and in the specification describeda novel flush valve structure applicable also to flush valves notemploying vacuum breakers, I do not herein claim the same, as I haveclaimed its novel features in a later application, No. 737,464, led July28, 1934.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the formswhich I at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, itwill be understood that it is capable of modiiications, and that I donot desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claimsexcept as necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is:

1. In a ilush valve, the combination with a valve casing having inletand outlet ports and a main valve seat between them, of a main valvemovable therein to and from the seat, a member connected therewithseparating the casing above the valve seat into la controlling chamberand an inlet chamber andmovable to vary the capacity of the controllingchamber, a relief-valve seat in said member, a relief Valve in themember co-operatlng with the seat to control a discharge passage throughsaid member from the controlling chamber to the outlet port, means forholding the relief valve seatedmeans for opening the relief valve topermit a quick discharge from the controlling chamber to the outletport, a srnall filling passage from the inlet port to the controllingchamber, a check valve controlling a passage through the relief-valveopening when a vacuum occurs in the inlet port connection, and a vacuumbreaker below the main valve seat.Am

CFI

2. A iiush valve as described in claim 1 in which the check valve is aball resting on a seat in a passage through the head of the reliefvalve. which passage has a plurality o1' branches above the ball openingultimately to the inlet port and a plurality of branches below the seatopening ultimately into the outlet port.

3. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a vacuum breaker adaptedto be inserted through the side of a conduit through which liquid isdischarged at intervals, consisting o1' a horizontal tube extending intothe conduit, a valve chamber secured to the outer end of the tube andextending parallel to the conduit, a valve seat in the chamber below theentrance of the tube thereto, a valve cooperating with thev seat, airinlet apertures in thel chamber below the seat whereby water flowingdown the conduit will be intercepted by the valve and prevented fromescaping through the air inlets, but in case of suction upward throughthe conduit, air will be free to enter the inlets, pass the valve andbreak the vacuum, and a vertical tube which carries the valve seatwithin and extending below the plane of the apertures in the chamber.

4. A vacuum breaker as described in claim 3 in which the valve is theshape of a mushroom cooperating with said set.

WILLIAM C. SHANLEY.

